The Endless Quest

Only when Mystery reveals herself to me, when my eyes first see what is unknown, and what it is that brings me here in rain and cold, can I really know a piece of myself, restless and excited by a world that lies outside a pedestrian view. I believe looking beyond means more passes, more valleys, more huge walls of rock that mask, in shadowed corners, the way beyond. What brings me here is but a sign post to an endless wandering in the beyond and beyond. A lifetime and more will never quench the human urge to break new ground in a shrinking world of knowns. The idea that brings me to this valley, that has given birth to another desire, takes me across the level ground to climb another hill. And on the other side, another view, another valley filled with lakes and connecting streams. But more so, the larger view, seen from other angles-- the mountains, valleys, and the hand of time that has carved these places-- will reveal both emptiness and form. Looking back from where I came, I know from a U-shaped entrance above, across on the western side of Indian Valley, that another question and another answer waits my view, and where a spark of understanding keeps the journey alive. But for now, I settle for smaller gifts, just to know what is beyond the Pass at the head of this valley.